Forever Confused
by MagicWolf
Summary: READ AND REVIEW AND I SHALL LOVE YOU! Ron likes Hermione, Hermione begins to take interest in Draco, and Draco is being openly abused by his father. Harry is added in the mix when a new girl named Jinx comes into play.


I do not own Harry Potter but because I am not good with this uploading stuff, my bestest buddie, Heather, uploads these stories for me so... since I gravel before here... I shall say it... she is THE queen! That IS my disclaimer... thank you!  
  
Harry Potter sat in the dinning hall at Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron had agreed to stay at Hogwarts with Harry during the winter break. As the three of them had already opened their gifts (sweaters from Mrs. Weasly on the boys' backs already) there was not much more to do furing the day.  
  
"We would be bored at home anyways." Ron said as the three sat eating lunch.  
  
"That is." Came a voice. "If you had a REAL home, Weasly!" It was Malfoy.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Shut it, Granger!" He snapped and sat down at a table on his own. He hid his head inside his hands and slumped in his seat. Hermione got a streak of mischief in her the past week, though neither Ron nor Harry could find it's source.  
  
"What's the matter, Malfoy, your not coming back at me!" she said standing up.  
  
"I said shut it!" He raked his hands through his hair. Hermione smiled seeing she was getting to him and went on.  
  
"What if I don't?! Huh?" Hermione walked slowly towards him. "What are you going to do then?"  
  
"Shut up, MUDBLOOD!" Draco's voice rang out through the halls like a shockwave. Hermione, being her sisth year of knowing Malfoy, had heard this name far too often, but for some reason, it hurt a lot more than usual. Malfoy jumped up after a second and stormed out of the hall. Harry and Ron sat looking at Hermione who stood and shook with a mix of anger, and sadness. She looked at her friends and then back at where Malfoy had sat. She shook her head and then ran out of the hall as well. Malfoy sat in the Slytherin common room. His feet propped up on the couch and his eyes glaring at his feet.  
  
"Stupid Granger." He mummbled and sighed. Back in the Gryfindor common room, Hermione sat with her arms and legs crossed, and her eyes closed. Tears ran down her soft cheeks. Crookshanks sat puring by her side. His fur standing on end feeling Hermione's tension.  
  
"I don't understand." She said to herself.  
  
"Hey, Hermione." Ron said as he came in through the portrait hole. Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Are you okay? You acted really weird the way you egged Malfoy on down there. And. I dunno." He sat down next to her and stared into her deep eyes. " You just seem. different."  
  
"I'm fine." Hermione said as she wiped away some tears. She stared into the dancing fire.  
  
"You sure" he put his hand on her knee. "because I still think-"  
  
"I'M FINE!" Hermione yelled as she ran up to her room. Ron sat there looking at his hand and then into the fire. In her room, Hermione took out her diary from under her pillow and began to write in it. Dear Diary, I really wish school would start already. It is exactly. three days and fifteen hours until school begins. I really am tired. I am not sure why, iether, but I feel different. Towards non other than Draco Malfoy. The boy who has made fun of me for as long as I have been at Hogwarts. That ruddy... Stupid... Slimy... git! That obnoxious toe-headed fiend who calls me a... well, something NOT found in civil conversations. I just.see him differently. This is what happened, Ron Harry and I were sitting in the dinning hall when Draco came in acting rather like himself. So, feeling.well, feelings not like myself, I went after him. I egged him on and, I felt like I had to be defensive for some reason. I'm not sure, but moving on. He came in and we exchanged rude words, or rather, I did. I was mean to him, because I guess I expected him to be rude back, like he always is. And I am sick of his crap, maybe that is why I came on so strong. So much like he is. But, he didn't fight. He seemed. drained. Now that I think of it, his hair wasn't slicked back. It was down in certain places, like he had been thrashed around and even his nasty head grease couldn't even keep it back. When he looked at me, his eyes were the softest, saddest blue. A million light reflections were seen in them. It was like, seeing fire crackers in his eyes. They were so shiny. And his eyes were puffy. He was. sad looking. His soft skin seemed, sick. WAIT?! What the heck am I saying?!  
  
Hermione tried to erase her last words but decided to keep them in. No one would read this anyways.  
  
Soft skin. sad eyes. fire crackers! This is Dra-Malfoy! Whatever. He is still that pigish first year boy. but such a needy man. MAN?! Ugh! I am making myself terribly sick. Love sick? NO! Stop this Hermione! You keep contradicting yourself. Ugh! I will write later, Diary.  
  
When the three were over, and everyone was back in school, things seemed to get back to normal. Except for one thing. Draco. He would sit all alone at lunch and in class. He didn't hang out with his friends as much anymore. He was no longer smuggish and bossy. But, introverted and lonely. One night, he sat all alone in the corner of the library. He had on a long hooded shirt, too big for his small but muscular frame. His feet were bare but his legs were covered by jeans. He was huddled in between bookshelves on the far end, in the dark. His hair hung down around his pale and long face. Hermione walked into the library and sat down near the back to be left alone. She began to read by the floating candle light. But then she felt like she was with someone. She looked around and threw some books she saw a pair of solemn eyes.  
  
"Draco?" She asked without even thinking why he would be there. She closed her book slowly and rose out of her seat. "Who is that?" She looked around and saw the librarian on a high ladder as she straightened books. Hermione walked forward and searched for the eyes. She found Draco sitting by himself with his hood over his matted hair. She kneeled down. Draco lifted his head enough to see what she was wearing. A pair of khaki jeans, black boots, and a sweater with a mock turtle neck that showed just the smallest bit of her midriff.  
  
"Why are you here?" She asked sitting in front of him. He just sat there. "You could at least look at me when I ask you something" she lifted his hood. Draco's hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist. Hermione was a bit surprised but just stared at his bluish gray eyes as his hood fell down behind his neck. Draco's hand grasping Hermione's small hand. She wiggling her fingers slightly. With their eyes still locked, Hermione lowered her arms into Draco's hair and folded it back to reveal a dark bruise right above his left eyebrow. Draco locked his hand into Hermione's and smirked. Not the old boasting smirk, a sweet caring smirk a dear friend like Ron or Harry would give her. Hermione looked down at their locked hands while still playing with Draco's hair. Draco kissed her forehead. Hermione pulled back slightly and then smiled. She flushed red and could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. Draco smiled for the first time in a long time and then slowly let go of Hermione's hand. Hermione bit her bottom lip and then jumped up. She rushed back to the table, gathered her books and ran out of the library with them. Draco sat there looking at his hands. A faint smile still lingered on his face. He stood up slowly, pulled his hood back up, dug his hands in his pockets, then left the library to go to the Slytherin common room. In the Gryfindor common room, Hermione was just sneaking in through the portrait. She tiptoed past the couch and was at the bottom of the stairs when she heard someone yawn behind her. She jumped and faced the night dweller. Ron sat on the couch, stretching out his arms and legs.  
  
"Hey, Hermione." He said getting up and yawning again. "Where were you?"  
  
"Library." Hermione said quickly then ran up the stairs to the girls room. Ron waited there at the bottom step, knowing the girls dorms were off limits, and then turned around. He went up the opposite steps and into the boys dorm rooms.  
  
"Hey, Ron." Harry said as he turned out the light next to his bed.  
  
"Oh." Ron climbed into bed. "Hiya, Harry." He sat with his legs under the sheets in an Indian style, and his hands fumbling with each other.  
  
"Hey, Harry." Ron said. Harry sat back up and turned on his light.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What do you think about."  
  
"About what?" Harry pulled the sheets off him and walked over to his friends bed side.  
  
"About.Hermione."  
  
"Ooh, she's cool." He sat down next to Ron. "I mean, she's funny, smart-"  
  
"No, no, no, no, no!" Ron shook his had slightly and played with his palms. "I mean.what do you think of Hermione.liking me?" Harry looked at his friend and then down at his slipper covered feet.  
  
"Well, Ron.uh.er.um.That's very hard to say I mean-"  
  
"Ooh!" Ron jumped up and faced his friend. "You mean she doesn't like me!"  
  
"Well, no, all I mean is that.well.Hermione is our friend. I feel as neutral to her as I do you, so, as far as.those feelings are concerned.I don't really know Ron."  
  
"Is it my freckles?!"  
  
"No!" Harry protested. "They have pretty much all disappeared.  
  
"Then is it my red hair?" Ron grabbed two fist full of his red hair.  
  
"Like Hermione would discriminate against hair." Harry pointed to a picture on his night table of the three friends and Hermione's hair as bushy as ever.  
  
"Is it my voice, my family.what, what is it?!"  
  
"I don't know!" Now Harry was getting really frustrated. "Maybe.it's just.not ment to be." Ron sat down as hard as a log being thrown and just stared ahead. He then silently nodded and curled under the covers.  
  
"It's just.since the second year.I don't know.I liked her." Harry nodded and shrugged.  
  
"Who knows. Maybe she likes you too." Ron shook his head doubtfully.  
  
"Night, Ron." Harry muttered and ruffled his friends hair as he left to go to his own bed. Ron nodded and rolled onto his back.  
  
"Night.Harry." 


End file.
